Politics and God's Kingdom Pt 1 of 2

(This blog is based off the teaching from 6/21/20

If you want to listen, go to revchurchslc.podbean.com

Included in the podcast, that you won’t get here on the blog, are questions and conversations)

We are in a charged and polarized environment.  On top of it being an election year, we find ourselves with many sides to choose from.  Pulled to the left and to the right, we hear loudly, “if you’re not with us, then you are against us!”  So, when I say politics, I mean actual politics, and also, every polarized position that presents itself to us.  This is not an attempt to avoid difficult conversations, or to avoid the issues of justice that are making themselves loudly known.  This is about choosing the side of Jesus.

We as Christians, as followers of the Way, the Truth and the Life,  must view our actions and conduct under a microscope.  If we think that because we’re passionate about something, then God must have commissioned us to it, we might be missing the mark.  The how is as important as the what, Grace and Truth.  Passion does not equal righteousness, and if we think this is so then we will justify the sin that stems from the anger we allow to reside in our hearts.  We will become Christians who think that blunt-force ministry is ok, and we will miss so many opportunities to actually touch people.

Love is our calling, period.

If we are not constantly looking to Jesus as our standard for living, for carrying out our mission, his mission, then we are missing the mark.

Let’s begin.

 [I encourage you read the whole passages given]

 ·      Matthew 22:15-22      “Give to Caesar what’s Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”

 Jesus’ loyalty was to neither the Pharisees nor to Caesar and Rome.  His obedience and loyalty were to his Father and his Kingdom alone.

 Pharisees and Herodians partner together to trap Jesus.  The Herodians were staunch supporters of Herod who were loyalists to Rome.  Two polarized groups hate the threat of Jesus so much that they are able to work together for their common goal.

Jesus does not choose a side, and this is why they are unable to trap him.  He doesn’t even play the game that they’re using against him.   Jesus does not side with any political power, organization, or earthly kingdom.  Jesus doesn’t stop at not being tricked, he goes on to point to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

“But because you bear the image of God, give back to God all that belongs to him.” (TPT)   Jesus stands with his Father and with people.

 ·      Matthew 8:5-13          Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

 Speaking of the centurion, Jesus says, “He has greater faith than anyone I’ve encountered in all of Israel!” 

What struck me first about this is that Jesus probably offended every single person standing around except the centurion.  More than likely he offended his 12 and other disciples following him.  Surely he offended the Pharisees and Sadducees, they were constantly offended by him.  But why the offense in this story?  Because Jesus honors one who is part of the very empire that has oppressed his people.  Jesus is not looking to critique or condemn any political power, rather, part of his mission was to find faith and breath on it, to honor it.  One of my favorite titles of Jesus is ‘Author and perfecter of faith.’  His critiques throughout the gospel are geared toward the snakes that profess to be a part of his Father’s Kingdom, giving spiritual guidance and direction, which in turn should bring about freedom, and yet they spiritually oppress for personal gain.  Who he is loyal to is being made obvious.

I don’t recall a place in scripture where Jesus calls out the Roman oppressor.  He does not take a stand against these, it is not his mission.  And right now, no matter where we stand, there is someone in political power that we want Jesus to call out.  For many that is our president, and that’s not me saying I’m a supporter or a non-supporter, that’s just a fact.  We want Jesus to join us against someone, and he won’t.

Jesus would find a police officer with faith and he would heal them.  He would then cross the lines looking for someone with faith, in ANTIFA, and he would breathe on their faith.  He would heal and breathe on faith wherever he found it.  Somewhere in the midst of all this we would find someone whom we believe doesn’t deserve to get their faith breathed upon.  Someone who doesn’t deserve forgiveness or love.  That being said, Jesus invited Matthew to be one of the twelve disciples and he was considered a traitor and an enemy to his people.  And, Matthew was transformed.  Jesus is not supporting people to stay in their positions, he looks for the gold in people and he draws it out, no matter where they come from or who’s side they’re on. 

 We look to blame those in leadership for the injustices we have in our society.  Though they may have agreed with the injustices, may perpetuate them and even enforce them, the question we must ask is, are they really the problem?  Did racism begin with our current leaders?  Is inequality, bias, control or fear new to our generation?

Let me pause right here and be clear about something.  Black lives matter.  I am not dancing around oppression, issues of injustice or racism.  I have been ignorant to much of this and I am learning and growing.  Stand up for the oppressed and the marginalized.  The Kingdom of Heaven is about freedom, but it is not about making enemies with human beings, for when we do, we trade in our eternal Kingdom for earthly ones.    

A side story:  While visiting Cambodia some years back, to love, learn and help end human trafficking, we learned a powerful Kingdom message.  We were told that we would likely encounter traffickers and we could not hate them.  We would meet men and women, who sold children for sex, and instead of wanting them dead, we needed to find Christ’s love in our hearts for them.  The enemy could not be clearer than this and yet we were told that even these traffickers were not the enemy, as flesh and blood, but had bought into the plans of the real enemy.  If we hated these traffickers, then we would forfeit our ability to love them, thus telling them, forgiveness is not for them.  They then told us a story, where traffickers would frequent a gym called The Lord’s Gym, a ministry established in the heart of a human trafficking district.  One particular trafficker was saved one day, surely not because he was hated by those who loved Jesus, but because he was offered love and forgiveness.  Many of us would believe he was beyond being saved and yet this man was fully transformed becoming one of the most powerful drivers to bring about freedom in his country. The simple math was this, a saved and redeemed human trafficker became a force of freedom and redemption that was greater than any one human trafficker hated or killed.  God’s love is greater and it covers a multitude of sins.   

The Kingdom of God is not for those that choose the easy road.  Love isn’t easy, but it is worth it.  And, if you truly want lasting change for the sake of those oppressed, the Kingdom of Heaven is the only Kingdom that can bring this about.

Often the Jewish people would see the power and authority of Jesus, and it was said on more than one occasion that they attempted to force him into the powerful political position of king and… ‘Jesus, knowing that this was their intention, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.’  Jesus did come to be King, and if the Kingdom of Heaven is within you and I, it is us he came to be King of.  He does not force his Lordship over a nation or people, but by invitation, establishes and grows his eternal Kingdom in and through the hearts of those who believe in him and are surrendered to him. 

Here’s what I believe happens and this is not new to our generation; people look to blame the political system, the Caesar, the President, etc… for the injustices in their society.  But if the people blame them for this, then surely they also believe that it is their leaders responsibility to make their society one of justice, peace and equality.  And this expectation, expressed through critique, judgement and the like is our way of, unknowingly perhaps, skirting around the great responsibilities we have to bring about justice, peace and equality.  The Kingdom of Heaven is growing within us!!!   And it longs to be poured out from us.   So, prophecy, speak the truth in love, heal and deliver.  Surrender to the Spirit at work within us, longing to make God’s love, our love, a reality.

Listen and hear,

Watch and see,

Be awake,

For God is calling us to sit on thrones where we know our worth and we call out the worth in others.

 If we follow Jesus, then we will be able to stand by people without taking a side.

Being Precedes Doing

(from Sunday, 2/9/2020)

(Listen to Podcast for teaching/discussion)

A MYSTIC: (as defined by Richard Rohr)

Is simply, one who has moved from mere belief or belonging systems to actual inner experience of God…more represented in John’s Gospel than in the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke)

Alan Watts wrote: “From the beginning, institutional Christianity has hardly contemplated the possibility that the consciousness of Jesus might be the consciousness of the Christian, that the whole point of the gospel is that everyone may experience union with God in the same way...as Jesus himself.”

Watts also wrote: “The truth that religion, to be of any use, must be mystical has always been denied by the seemingly large number of people, including theologians, who do not know what mysticism is...  Its essence is the consciousness of union with God. “ [1]

Who we are and what we are, will dictate thoughts, words and actions.  A dog barks, a duck quacks and so forth.  We cannot manipulate this, we cannot change who we are by modifying behavior or by reading a script.  But this does not mean we cannot change.  In fact, if you look around, you will see that change is inevitable for all of life. This process of change is often gradual, tricking us into believing that it is not continually taking place.  The truth is that none of us, living and breathing, are the same today as we were yesterday. If we accept this reality in the spirit of fear, we will believe we are victims to time and age, and change will be something that robs from us. But, if we except this reality in the spirit of love, we will have hope that we don’t have to stay the same, that we can be different, better, more loving, more creative, filled with peace and joy.  The hope is that we can and will become more and more like Jesus.  This thought, that “being comes before doing” is not meant to discredit our responsibilities in the actions we take.  The way we live, the actions we take and the words we speak, reveal who we are and the faith we have.  James in his epistle says that …”faith without action is lifeless.”  And there are modes of thought, like that of the Franciscans, who believe we are to live our way into new ways of thinking.  Truly, if you sit in this, the ideas of both “being precedes doing,” and ‘the importance of our actions’ do not contradict one another.  In fact, both are important, who we are and what we do, both pointing to the other, so it is not being “or” doing, but being “and“ doing.

But where does this kind of change, rooted in love, seated with hope begin? 

For most, when we think of changing, we begin to feel overwhelmed and even defeated at the impossible task set before us. A work that may prove little reward. If you feel this hopeless perspective on change before you, I believe it is because you think you have to do it alone and be the cause of change for yourself. The truth is: you cannot change yourself. This does not mean you don’t have a responsibility in the process though, because it is also true that for this change of betterment to happen, you must have a yes for it and agree with the process. So, the irony is, that instead of grasping, clawing, striving and working toward change, we simply need to agree, let go, surrender and rest.  The world says we must fight for what we want and take what we need.   God says, we must surrender to him and receive.  This surrender takes courage, for it will challenge us in a myriad of ways and it will feel much like a battle.

Before the city awakes,

Before the giants rise from their slumber,

Demanding our production,

Before our lists of to-dos begin,

We must simply be, 

We must listen,

be still, 

rest, and

Be present.

Where does this change or transformation take place, or at least begin?

In the quiet, in the stillness, where the I Am of God is met, and the I am of us is set before him, and communion between the two take place.  We are not alone in our efforts; in fact, it is much less about effort than it is about surrender. Surrendering to the very presence of God and his nature in communion with him. 

This is enough, he is enough.

In John 6, Jesus preaches an all-inclusive message that empties the mountain side of his followers, the crux being versus 56: “The one who eats my body and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.“

He makes it clear shortly after that he is speaking of spiritual matters and not cannibalism. But the offense has already set into the crowd and it is only his devoted, surrendered disciples that remain. If you are following Jesus be sure that you will be offended, but if you have the resolve that Peter displays, “…Lord, to whom would we go? “, you will continue to grow in your union with Jesus and will also learn of his deep care and compassion for you and the world.

Jesus is speaking of becoming one, where he calls us to him, and we go, receiving him.

We are to go to him hungry and desperate.

He is the main course.

He is the meal set before us.

We don’t change Jesus, he changes us.

We are what we eat!

There is much betrothal language in the bible regarding our relationship to Jesus.

Becoming one with him, where our identities are no longer that of a separate individual, but one where we haven’t an identity apart from him.  As though our name is no longer, just Aaron, or simply Nicki, but Christ’s Beloved Aaron, or Jesus’ Beloved Nicki and so forth.  In the gospel of John, John does not give his name to the reader, instead, he refers to himself on a number of occasions as the disciple or one whom Jesus loved (John 20:2).  His identity was/is the Beloved.  And as you read John and even the other gospels, watch for the deep intimacy that is portrayed between John and Jesus.  It is John who leans upon the breast of Jesus at Peter’s prompting during the last supper, to ask his Lord who his betrayer will be.  John seemed to hear the language of Jesus, calling his disciples into union with him.  This is all throughout the gospels and understood and written about in the epistles too.  I think a challenge for us, with this betrothal language is that we have a hard time separating the idea of sex from marriage and this muddies the water.  The whole of this topic is for another day, but, let me say this at least… sex is simply the physical representation of deep intimacy and connection within a marriage, which is the most sacred relationship between two people.  A marriage between two people is meant to draw us into deeper understanding of the relationship God desires to have with us, intimate, deep, devoted and covenantal.  Most if not all physical things are meant to help us understand spiritual things. 

It is the mystics who thrive, instead of simply surviving the faith journey. The rational mind will fail you, for God has established the laws of nature and yet he is not bound to them.  We can see the face of the creator in his beloved creations. I can see God’s might in the mountains, but he is mightier still. I can see his glory in the skies, but even this expanse does not contain him. Beyond into the galaxies he shows us that even in darkness he is light.

It is good to grow in knowledge of God, but without love, accepting him in the unknowing first, this growth and knowledge quickly becomes a box that we will strive to build around God.

A box built to contain God!?

How utterly ridiculous and foolish an idea.

I don’t think many of us know that this is what we are doing to God in our lives. But if you don’t spend time in God’s presence, waiting in the mystery, receiving his love and surrendering yourself to him in love, you are doing this. There are things that our hearts must learn that our brains cannot. And it is only until we have received the heart knowledge that we can put words to it.

Think about this when you ask a question of God, are you asking a multiple answer question or an open-ended question? Have you released your need to control God’s answer to you? If you haven’t, it’s likely that you won’t hear the answer, or perhaps the answer from God will be a question. Often that’s how Jesus responded to people in his time of ministry, with a question. He refused to be manipulated or boxed in.  God uses questions to draw us into a deeper relationship with him where trust is built.  So, if we are unhappy with a question as an answer from God, maybe we need to reassess our purpose in talking with him.

This moment of being present and surrendering is not a one-time thing. Just like our bodies require the intake of food regularly, our spirit, more importantly, requires the intake of Jesus regularly. Salvation is an ongoing, lifelong journey, where the first step is meant to be the beginning of a pilgrimage. 

Wisdom allows us to hold two or more ideas or truths together in harmony that otherwise would seem to be in contradiction. Such as, Jesus calls us his friend, seats us on the thrones of princes and queens, but he does not call us his equal. This is the invitation to meekness. Knowing who we are in the light of who God is.

In the mystery, that is where change begins and continues, in communion with Jesus.

A revelation from God does not answer all our questions, but it is meant to answer the question that will draw us deeper into the mystery and unknowing. To commune with him, to surrender our lives to receive his life, to allow his nature to become our nature, we must let go of our need to understand all.  It is in this place of intimacy, stillness and quiet, that we grow in trust with him, where his very presence assures us of his purpose and plans of love...”Plans to prosper (us) and not to harm (us), plans to give us hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) 

It is here that our being, becomes one with his being.

References:

[1] Richard Rohr, Inner Experience of God: Sunday, September 24, 2017, Daily Meditations

https://cac.org/inner-experience-of-god-2017-09-24/

Loneliness

(from Sunday, 7/7/19)

Loneliness is a feeling.  Loneliness is not so much the cause of something, “I did such and such because I was lonely,” as it is a symptom.  Loneliness points to something or better yet reveals something to us about ourselves such as: our condition, our circumstances or even what we believe.  Everyone experiences the feeling of loneliness just as everyone experiences all of the emotions, some would argue everyday.  Not all experience it to the same depth or severity, though I believe we are all capable of experiencing it to a deep, deep level.

The dictionary defines loneliness as a “sadness because one has no friends or company”.  Though I do believe that not having any friends or company can cause loneliness and can be a part of the definition, I do not agree with this as an in depth definition.  I also believe that, if you stop at the definition that basically says, ‘if you are lonely it is because you have no one,’ then you have believed a lie.  During our discussion time the point was made that the reason the above definition is lacking, is because it misses the spiritual side of things.

Raise your hands if you have experienced the feeling of loneliness in a crowd, with company, in a friendship, in a marriage or within the context of any relationship?

Obviously, the feeling of loneliness is not eliminated just because we are in the company of others or in relationships.  Loneliness simply reveals to us, the implanted need for true (deep and healthy) connection.  God made us to be in communion with him and each other placing this innate desire for connection.   We can ignore our need to be in relationship with God by trying to fill this hole with many things and other people.  Also, we can ignore our need for community and family with people by hiding away with God.  God must come first, but we cannot have a healthy relationship with God apart from love for and relationship with people.  The two go hand in hand.  Jesus says in John 13 talking to his disciples that if they love each other as he has loved them then they will be known as his disciples.  This standard is true for us as well.  This makes it obvious that we cannot be known as a disciple of Jesus’ unless we are connecting with other humans.

Just as with all emotions, loneliness is not good or bad, it just is.  Often, the feelings we have, can feel bad, but that does not make feelings the enemy.   Generally speaking, we can interpret many feelings as pain, like fear, anger, hurt, etc., and what we have learned to do in our society in response to pain is to mask it or numb it, rather than go to the source and evaluate it.  We live in an Ibuprofen society.  There is a difference between medicating and healing.  Many of us, if not all of us, do not want to step into and experience pain when we recognize it, though this is often needed.  With our deepest pains the only way to do this is with God, because he understands us better than anyone and he has always purposed us for freedom and wholeness.   It is in the process of confronting these painful feelings that we learn from them, receive healing, grow and even mature.  I’m not saying that there isn’t a place for medication; I’m saying that medication cannot be substituted for healing.  And truly, though we may stuff pain away, it never goes away, and it will continue to surface.

 God made us for relationship with him, we know this because Adam and Eve were made for him and when Jesus came, he came to bring us back to him.  Jesus makes it obvious that God wants to connect and commune with his beloved.   The biggest sacrifice ever to be made was made for this communion to be possible.  Jesus invited us into him, inviting us into the union that existed before time began.  Loneliness is a longing for connection that began with God.  God was complete before he made us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in that, he has never been without company or friends.  But because he is like a river, longing to find a place to pour through, he created us.  He made us in his image, to be like him, to be in communion with him and to receive from him.  He is generous with who he is and he is the very definition of love.  He placed the desire for connection within us; it is a part of his image and thumbprint upon us.  If we are not living in relationship with him, then we will feel lonely, though we may be in the company of many.  If we have been praying to know him more, then his answer to our prayer may be him opening up the well within us to go deeper, in a sense, creating more space for him to dwell in.  The spirit man is like God in that it is deep, beyond our understanding, and the prayer to know God more, opens up caverns within us to fill.   The answer to our prayer can feel like pain, and yet “the ache in our heart draws us into the place we long for.”  If we were to ignore or numb the pain, we may miss this opportunity.   And if in our loneliness, we turn to God to commune with him, we will find him near.  This is not always clear cut, and does not always happen as we would plan, but if we continue to pursue him, we will find him.  Often the greatest hurdles are within our own heart and mind.

We don’t have to repent for having feelings, but we may have to repent for how we deal with them.  When I got angry I lashed out and I’m sorry.  When I felt lonely I sought out unhealthy relationships and I repent God.  We may have to repent for the actions we have taken after having a feeling.  I also think that sometimes we need to repent for conducting ourselves apart from God when dealing with or ignoring a feeling.   If repentance is simply turning back to God, then a sin is simply turning away from Him.   In repentance we turn to listen to him, receive from him (starting with forgiveness), think as he thinks and connect with him.  Often a pattern of sin begins when we try to fill a “need” quickly, rather than investing and being patient.  Deep relationships and true connection take time; trust is not built over night.

The thought to talk about this was re-introduced to me during the song Green Eyes by Coldplay, and the next song on the album A Rush of Blood to the Head.   God speaks through many things and his beauty can be seen everywhere if we simply pay attention.  Over the past week or so I’ve been listening to these songs hearing the longing of a heart. 

This all stems from the innate desire placed within us for true connection.  The loss of a loved one, a friendship broken, the estrangement felt during a fight with a spouse, all feels like loneliness because it fractures connection.  True connection comes by vulnerability, openness, humility, sacrificial love and time.  God had the first longing heart, and it is he that understands connection and communion better than any other for it is he that created it.  We are upon this earth for this very purpose.  ‘In the Present build relationship with God and others.  The past can be full of regrets, the future full of ‘what ifs’ but the present is where we live.’  Be in the moment.

 Growing with God, means making our ‘Yes’ bigger every day.  It means that we will discover areas of our hearts that we have not invited God into.  If there is a feeling that you are experiencing, that you haven’t shared with God, connect with him in that.  If it is loneliness, draw near to him, receive him, and worship him.  Turn to him, to hear from him, to think like him, to be one with him.  Step over the hurdles that keep you from offering everything to him and receiving everything from him.  God longs for you, to fill you with more of him, to give you everything you need and even the deepest desires that you have. 

We Read:

·      Psalm 139:1-4, 12-14, 23-24 (Feel free to read the whole Psalm)

            (vs. 1-4) David declares that God knows everything about him. 

            (vs. 12-14) David praises God for creating us mysteriously complex and that God knew us from the beginning. 

            (vs. 23-24) David invites God to search him, to know him through and through. 

            The two types of knowing are different, the first, simply God sees everything, and the second David invites God to know him in relationship.  It is the knowledge of the first knowing that leads David to invite God to know him in the second, deep and vulnerable relationship.  It is in the relationship where healing exists.

·      Psalm 63:1-8  About David Longing  for God; and

·      Psalm 42 from Korah’s Clan, about longing for God, especially highlighting verse 7 where the psalmist expresses the truth of our deep and God’s deep communing.

Our Father

(from Sunday, 6/16/19)

We talked about what characteristics and traits a good father would have.  I realize that not all fathers represent God the Father well, but that most show some of his perfect traits, even if imperfectly.  We went around and everyone shared something that they thought a good father would do, or be.  Even if we have had an absent father or a father that has mistreated us, I believe most of us understand what a good father looks like.  It was good to reflect on this.  It begins to paint a picture for us of who God is as our Father.

We read Psalm 139:13-15, where David sings about God’s care in forming us, molding us, shaping us.  The intimate, invested care of our Father.

I then read Matthew 1:1, which introduces the physical lineage of Jesus, son of David, son of Abraham.  There is promise in this; the seed promised to Abraham, and the royal line that Jesus came through.  There is both a physical bloodline and a spiritual bloodline here.

Then I read through John 8:21-59. 

Here John records Jesus talking to the religious of his time. 

Jesus is never anything but sincere and honest. He only speaks the truth for it is who he is.  What he says is not meant to repel people but to reveal.  It may be hard to see the grace in some of what Jesus speaks because it sounds harsh, but grace is ladled throughout his speech.  I believe often we can get offended at a word and then miss the invitation that follows, the love woven throughout.  The Truth sets people free, which means, that it is lies that hold them captive.  When Jesus speaks, he reveals lies, which in turn offers the opportunity to be freed.  Many that were there that day put much stock in their ancestry, Abraham being a father of fathers to them.  But Jesus was saying essentially that the true marking of a son is the likeness of the father.  Abraham spoke the truth and delighted at the coming of Jesus.  Jesus spoke of the truth releasing more freedom into their lives and they were offended, that he would imply that they were anything but free.  How dare Jesus!  This is where those who got offended got stuck and revealed whom they were like and thus who their father was. Jesus emphasized the divine lineage, which most importantly states that, no matter your physical ancestry, or physical bloodlines, that does not dictate who you are.  Jesus was saying, in invitation, “if the Son sets you free from sin, then become a true son and be unquestionably free!” [John 8:36]  Even in his blunt words, he was inviting them into better, into heavenly lineage. 

Jesus dismantles the fantasies that just because your ancestor is righteous and of faith, that doesn’t mean you are.  Who is our likeness truly of?  That becomes the honest assessment, and it is in the honest, humble space that we can receive Jesus’ invitation to come, even if it’s to come to him more, to receive more freedom.  Jesus’ entire ministry on earth was an invitation to know him and His (Our) Father who He is one with.  He did not come to judge man, though he had the right to, he came to invite.  He came not to condemn but to convict, calling all into repentance and thus calling all into him. 

 I then read from Matthew 6, where Jesus teaches us to pray.  Before the ever so famous prayer that begins with, “Our Father….”, Jesus over and over again equates His Father to Our Father.  Read before the prayer and see.  “Since you are children of a perfect Father in heaven…. your heavenly Father…with Father God…your Father, “etc…  Jesus makes the point that he calls, declares and invites us into his family.  What keeps us from closeness with God, from receiving the invitation to be a son or a daughter, is a thin veil of lies, painted to look like an iron wall.  The stuff that we really must wade through is the pride and belief that we are faultless.  God is perfect and we must be perfect to be one with Him and we cannot be perfect without Him.  Simply put, it is He that makes us perfect.

Simply, humbly, hungry walk into Him.  God is calling us into him, deeper, closer, more intimately joined to him, openhearted and vulnerable.  This is the Gospel; Jesus is the Way, tearing in two the curtain that has been a barrier to us all, keeping us at a distance from God.  Jesus has made a way for us to be part of his royal, eternal bloodline. The invitation from Jesus is for us to come and be a part of his family. To be called son, daughter, brother, beloved.  He calls the orphans and widows, the abandoned and deserted, the broken and outcast. He calls the ones that nobody wants and says that they are/you are beautiful, desired, and welcome.  He calls the weak and promises strength.  He calls the humble and promises power and authority. He sets a place at his table and earnestly awaits your arrival.  He sets a feast upon that table and calls us all to get our fill. This has always been God’s intention toward us, for us to be one with him and dwell in his house.   It is man that erects barriers.  We don’t need to chip through the walls that God has created to reach him, they don’t exist.  We need to dismantle the lies that hold us captive, and in humility walk out of the forest of shame and personal issues to get to God.  God is not far off but he is near.  God does not shelter himself from us but invites us to be within his shelter.  God is literally at your elbow this instant, waiting for you.

Aaron Craner

Recap...

First I will recap on the week or so leading up to the next blog, Our Father, as I believe it lays some necessary groundwork.

Baptisms on Friday, June 14th.

I shared a few points that I believe are important to name:

1)   Baptism is not merely symbolic,

2)   Baptism is death,

3)   Baptism is Life, and

4)   Baptism is not a “fix all, end all”  

There is a great mystery in the midst of all Christian traditions, like baptism.

This mystery is Christ, who he is, and what he has accomplished.  Though we are called into him and all that he freely gives us, we will never be able to fully wrap our minds around him.   He desires to reveal himself to us, though he will always remain a mystery.

The Sunday before the baptisms, Josh spoke about Jesus the Christ, being God’s great mystery.  His message, Jesus by Josh C 6-9-19, is posted on the podcasts so you can listen.  He read from Colossians 2.  I encourage to listen to the teaching and read the passage.

At the baptisms, Josh read again from Colossian 2:6-7, calling us to grow in our union with him, Jesus.   This is the heart of a pilgrim.  Though we are already united to him, we are “progressing further into (our) union with him!”

 As baptism unites us to Jesus, both in his death and in his resurrection, we become part of him.  We enter into the union that has existed before time began, between Jesus, His Father, and the Holy Spirit.  This means that His Father becomes our Father.

Aaron Craner

Intro....

Due to some limitations (i.e. my flip phone) we aren’t able to post all the teachings from the Sunday gatherings on the PodBean.  To stay connected with those that listen to the podcasts, we will post what we can here as a blog.  I will not be able to transcribe all that was talked about on any particular Sunday.  I will however do my best to communicate the spirit of what took place, including some of the contributions made by those that were at the Sunday gatherings.  In addition, we may begin to use this blog as a way to communicate other things from our community. This is my first attempt to do this sort of a thing.  If you have any suggestions, please send an e-mail directly to me at aaron.craner@gmail.com.

We hope you are encouraged.

Thank you,

Aaron Craner